Improved safety-bridle



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I'MPRovnn .s-ArETY-BRIDLR The Schedule referred to in these etters Patent and making part of the same.

To all it ma/y concern Be a known than, s. v. R. YORK, 'of Antwerp, in.

the county of Jefferson, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Combined Safety-Bridle and Self-Acting Kicking-Attachment for Horses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front View of my safety-bridle.

'Figure 2, a view of my combined safety-bridle and self-acting kickingattachment as applied to a horse and to the shafts of a vehicle.

Figure 3 is a perspective view ofthe whole apparatus.

Like letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the gures. 1

My invention consists of an apparatus composed of a bridle having a nose-ring, also two other rings around a snaile-bit, in combination with a check-strap and two long leather straps or lines, so arranged and appliedv to a horse, as to form asafety-bridle and kicking-attachment, as hereinafter described.

'In the drawings- A is an ordinary snaiile-bit, provided with the usual check-bars.

B B are two one and one-halfinch rings welded around the bit, and, when in place, come between the bars of the bit and the horses mouth.

O G are two leather straps, seven inches each in length, one end of each being attached to rings B B, thence run` ning up each side of the horses nose to a third one and one-half inch ring, a, where they are fastenedti' To this ring a, a strap, b, is stitched, and is brought up to the horses forehead. It is there split, forming two straps D D. I

A short strap, c, eight 4inches in length, is sewed on the top of the crown-piece d, at each end, and also stitched at two points in the centre, leaving three loops of 'snicient space to allow the straps D D, which are three-quarters of an inch wide, to pass through, one through the right-hand and the other through the lefthand loop. l A

These straps or lines D D are now taken thence. down each side of the horses neck, and through the terrets on .the back-pad or saddle of the horse.

A one and one-half inch iron ring, c, is sewed fast tol the back strap on the hips of the horse, about the point where the hip-straps of the breeching pass through.

These two straps or reins'D Dnow both pass through this ring e, and are brought down over the small of the horses hips, one on the near and the other on the off side respectively, to the shafts of the vehicle.

On the under side of the shafts, and just forward of the mortise f, that holds the cross-bar g of the shafts, one and one-half inch square iron staple, h, is made ast.

The straps or reins D D are now brought inside the shafts, passed through the staples, and brought tothe outside, and are there buckled and made fast, bringing the reins just straight.

E is al centre check-strap, arranged and fastened as follows:

A half-inch buckle, c', is sewed fast to the strap b on the forehead, about three inches above the nose-ring a. One end of this centre-check E is buckled iu'to said buckle i., carried through the centre loop on the top of the crown-piece il, thence runs down the horses neck,

and is fastened to the check-hook j attached to thesaddle, checking the horse up, as is required in ordinary driving.

F F are ordinary drivingpreins.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

When a horse attempts to kick, the consequent elevation of his hind quarters produces a sudden and powerful strain on the two reins D D, which pass from the shafts over the hips, through the ring c and terretFrings,

and over the head to the bit, throwing his head violently into the air; the lings B B around the bit, and sliding thereon, at the Sametime squeezing the animals mouth together in a very disconcerting and uncomfortable manner, so much so as to eiectuahy prevent a repetition of his kicking. v

It is impossible fora horse to kick, without lowering his head at the same time that he raises his quarters.

After a few attempts, the horse will be eif'ectuallyv broken of this dangerous habit. v

The two reins D D are intended for use with a very vicious animal. In ordinary cases, the check-strap, operating on the animals mouth, will prevent a horses kicking. In case the horse attempts to run, the driver, vby pulling on the driving-reinsF F, draws the two one andenehalf inch rings B B forcibly together, by the horses head being pulled towards his neck, which tightens the check-strap E, and produces the same effect on the horses lmouth as when he attempts to kick. Thesnalilebit bending inside the horses mouth, allows the rings B B to draw towards each other, throwing the animals mouth wide open, and producingavery painful sensation, causing him to yield at the touch of the rein in a moment. When the driver eases up on thereins, the rings hang loose on the bit, relieving the horse of the pain,

and never producing soreness or injuring the mouth.

This operation makes it a safety-bridle, and also eifectually eures' a horse that is a side-reiner, o1' one that lugs upon the reins, or attempts to bolt or plunge.

The arrangement of the check-strap E,'either with or without the kicking-attachment, has the same effect on the animals mouth, as above described. The same will also eectually break a horse of the habit of carrying his tongue over the bit or out of his mouth.

It may be asked, How will this bridle breaka bad kicker in double harness?" It is done as follows The evener should be boltedv fast to the pole, so that it cannot raise at eitheielifl,

, or swing back and forward.

through a staple on the under side, and brought up,

around the outside and made fast.

It will be readily seen that my apparatus can be as eiectually applied to a double team as when the horse is driven single.

' The whole harness can be made neatly, so as to hardly attract attention to it as being anything uncoin# mon for a horse to wear.

To recapitulate: It is selilacting, to correct kicking and other bad habits; it prevents a horse from running away, lugging on the reins, carrying his tongue over the bit, or hanging out of his mouth, or being a sidereiner.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl 1. The straps I) D and check-straps E, branching from the nose-piece b, and all acting on the slidin g rings B, and combined and operating together for the purpose and in the manner as described.

2. The combination of the check-strap E and connection 'i with the straps b C C, and loose rings B B, substantially as herein set forth.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed myname, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

S. V. R. YORK.

Witnesses:

J. R. BRAKE, GEO. W. MIATT. 

